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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25228015">A Warm and Fuzzy Feeling</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/versti_fantur/pseuds/versti_fantur'>versti_fantur</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>LazyTown</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Based on a Tumblr Post, Denial of Feelings, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Soulmate AU, worm on a string - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:28:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,232</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25228015</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/versti_fantur/pseuds/versti_fantur</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>It was fitting, he thought as he draped himself over his orange armchair, that a villain should be alone. Hell, it wasn’t like he even needed a soulmate anyway! It would take so much effort, and he was decidedly too lazy for that. No, he didn’t need a soulmate at all, and he’d practically resigned himself to never finding one.</i>
</p>
<p>//or, the Sportarobbie soulmate AU no one asked for</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Robbie Rotten/Sportacus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>69</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>128</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>okay so  <a href="http://hellotailor.tumblr.com/post/174407110733/soumate-au-where-everyone-is-given-a-worm-at">here</a> is an explainatory link for the soulmate au. Or if ya want, I'll summarise in the end notes.</p>
<p>PS the worms are like worms on a string, but without the string (ie fuzzy, cute, and sentient)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Don’t look at me like that.” Robbie glared at the worm judgementally wrapping herself around his wrist, purple and blue furry stripes contrasting to the navy of his turtleneck as he ducked down behind a wall to avoid being seen by the flippy blue <i>lunatic</i> who had just arrived in town and ruined his day. “Of course I’m not going to ask him, there’s no way in <i>hell</i> it could be him!”</p>
<p>The newcomer was the opposite of everything Robbie stood for; he never seemed to sit still, he <i>enjoyed</i> playing with the kids, and, worst of all, couldn’t even eat sugar. A horrendous existence, in Robbie’s opinion, and <i>definitely</i> not someone who could be his soulmate. Literally zero percent chance, they were just too different.</p>
<p>The worm stared back wordlessly with unblinking eyes. </p>
<p>“Shut up Slimey!” He hissed at her, suddenly aware of the voices on the other side of the wall coming closer, and shook his wrist so she fell onto the ground as he crawled away, leaving her to hurriedly squirm after him.</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>If he was being honest, Robbie had all but given up on looking for his soulmate. It wasn’t as though Lazytown had an influx of newcomers, and whenever someone new did happen upon the small village, they were usually already married, or, in the case of the last one Robbie could remember, literally a teenager. The boy—Jives—had been helpful though; strong enough to help Robbie with a couple of his machines, and Robbie had felt something akin to paternal pride as he taught him all the ins and outs of how engines worked. Plus, he’d been nowhere near as loud and irritating as the brats, which Robbie had definitely appreciated too. But he’d left for university a little over a year ago, and though Robbie still got postcards from him occasionally, the boy had clearly moved on to newer and greater things. </p>
<p>Although he was loath to admit it, several years ago (at Slimey’s insistence) he had signed up onto the database, and submitted photos of Slimey, along with their names and his address. Not two days later, a directory had arrived at his lair. After that, he spent far more hours than he’d care to admit flicking through pages upon pages of photographs of similar (but not quite identical) blue and purple worms. Never finding what he was looking for. He ignored the ache in his chest as it became more and more apparent he wasn’t going to find who he was looking for.</p>
<p>After the first time, when Slimey had sat on his shoulder, staring intently at each worm, before eventually deflating and flopping down to hang miserably, her nose poking him in the ribs, he had taken to only looking when she’d fallen asleep. But eventually it took its toll on him as well, and after his third time reading through it, he tossed it into the shredder and never spoke of it again. Sure, just because most people were in the database didn’t mean <i>everyone</i> was, and he’d never heard of anyone not having a soulmate… But he was already on the wrong side of 30, and everyone he knew had found theirs by then…</p>
<p>It was fitting, he thought as he draped himself over his orange armchair, that a villain should be alone. Hell, it wasn’t like he even needed a soulmate anyway! It would take <i>so</i> much effort, and he was decidedly too lazy for that. No, he didn’t need a soulmate at all, and he’d practically resigned himself to never finding one. Slimey, however, wasn’t so lucky, and Robbie knew she longed to find hers someday. Sure, she annoyed the hell out of him sometimes, but he loved her, and it was only for her that he still tried. And that meant Robbie had to find his soulmate.</p>
<p>Sighing, he grabbed the plate of cake from the side table (leaving a tiny slice for Slimey too), and switched on the TV. He was too tired think anymore, and the chances that Sportaflip could actually be his soulmate were so laughably small that he didn’t want to waste the energy regardless. </p>
<p>Beside him, Slimey stared sadly at her cake, coiled up around herself. Alone.</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>A few days later, Robbie finally emerged from his lair again, hoping enough time had passed for Sportaloon to have left. A cursory glance around the town square seemed to prove his theory, and with a grin he tossed his pillow onto the closest bench and lay down to take a nap. A nearby tree cast a shadow over him, the sunlight filtering through its thick leaves, and the soft breeze sending him into a pleasant doze.</p>
<p>But of course, that couldn’t last long.</p>
<p>“Hi! I don’t think we’ve met yet! I’m Sportacus!”  Rubbing his eyes and pushing himself up into a sitting position, Robbie squinted at the person interrupting his rather pleasant nap. He was shorter than Robbie remembered, and somehow even more muscular up close. And with an irritatingly bright smile stretching his lips wide. </p>
<p>“I’m Robbie. Robbie Rotten. Now leave me alone I’m trying to sleep,” he grumbled, his eyes finally adjusting to the light, and allowing him to focus properly. But as he took in the finer details of the man standing before him, he froze.</p>
<p>“Oh, I’m sorry for interrupting your nap, Robbie.” Sportacus dropped his gaze, an apologetic look flashing over his face, and his (frankly ridiculous, in Robbie’s opinion) moustache seemed to droop at the ends. But Robbie didn’t notice, too preoccupied with the fuzzy worm currently perched atop Sportacus’ shoulder. Sportacus must have noticed his staring, and turned his head to see what Robbie was looking at. The sides of his mouth twitched into a smile. “You like my worm? Her name’s Stretcher!”</p>
<p>Robbie didn’t know how to speak, his brain running through a million thoughts at once, and finishing none of them. The worm stared down at him quizzically—or maybe knowingly, Robbie couldn’t tell—it’s deep purple and sky blue striped fur all too horrifyingly familiar, and if Slimey hadn’t been curled up asleep in his waistcoat pocket, Robbie would’ve sworn Sportacus had stolen her. </p>
<p>“I-” he stumbled over all the words he wanted to say, and even some that he didn’t. “I have to go.” He jumped to his feet, his nose twitching anxiously as he grabbed his pillow and hurried away as fast as he could, before ducking behind a wall and sliding down as soon as he knew he was out of sight. </p>
<p>“Why did it have to be <i>him</i>?” he lamented quietly, so not to wake up Slimey. He set his face in his hands, panic coursing through his veins as the same thought replayed on a loop in his head. <i>I’ve fucked this up already, haven’t I?</i></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>oop chapter 2 &lt;3 hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The walk back to the lair was longer and more uncomfortable than usual, the summer sun hot on the back of Robbie’s neck, and the weight of his realisation weighing down on his shoulders. Jolted awake by his movement, Slimey wriggled out of his pocket, curling around his watch chain and staring up at him, her black eyes wide and questioning.</p>
<p>“What?” She glared at him, and Robbie sighed, flopping down onto the grass between his billboard and the rest of the town, hoping the pollen levels had died down enough since spring so his allergies wouldn’t flare up. He didn’t know if he should mention his discovery to her; morally, it would be the right thing to do, but Sportaflop was going to leave at some point, and his stupidly-named worm with him, leaving them alone again, and maybe it’d be easier for Slimey (and him) if nothing ever happened. Plus, he was a villain! Villain number one in fact, so why should he care about <i>morals</i>?</p>
<p><i>What did you do now?</i> She rolled her eyes, and Robbie rolled his back, but he shook his head, crushing his anxiety back into the small box he allowed it in the back of his brain. Overthinking took too much effort anyway.</p>
<p>“You know that new flippity flopity blue guy?” he flapped his arms around as he spoke, for emphasis. She nodded. “Well he’s <i>far</i> too nice! And too <i>active</i>, he’s completely ruining the nature of Lazytown!” he spat out the word ‘active’ like it left a bad taste in his mouth, “So he’s got to go. And if he won’t, then we’ll make him leave.” His nose twitched as he finished, but as he looked down and saw Slimey bobbing her head excitedly, the rest of the doubt left him. Standing back up and sauntering over to the billboard, a smile half formed on his lips—now it was time for some real villainy to begin.</p>
<p>“And <i>no</i> I didn’t ask him about that, but he couldn’t <i>possibly</i> be my soulmate, don’t be ridiculous Slimey.” He added as they shot out of the pipe and landed on the floor of the lair, his eyes adjusting to the dim light. “I don’t even <i>like</i> him!” Picking himself up, he spun around to his workbench, a plan already formulating in his mind.</p>
<p>“But what I <i>do</i> like is a dastardly scheme!”</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>Several hours and three slices of cake later, and his plan was all set; the boots were sewn identical to Sportacus’ (a small ‘RR’ embroidered on the inside, because he couldn’t let his excellent craftsmanship go wholly unnoticed) with the device carefully hidden, so that he, at the push of a button, would be able to control Sportaweirdo’s every move and make him run straight out of town! His outfit was also prepared, standing neatly in his disguise machine, waiting for him to pull a lever and take on a new persona. He tingled with excitement, barely able to wait to set his scheme into motion, but first he had to dress Slimey up in her disguise too: a tiny beige suit, identical to his own, complete with a bowler hat and briefcase. </p>
<p>Once they were both dressed, he perched Slimey atop his hat, and she wriggled behind the lip of the brim, only her face peeking out. (Robbie was secretly glad of her outfit, Sportaflop wouldn’t be able to see what she looked like, </p>
<p>The sooner he started his plan, the sooner Sportflop would be out of his life forever and he could go back to enjoying being alone. What could possibly go wrong?</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>As it turned out, everything. </p>
<p>Sportafreak had just walked on his hands instead, and then those pesky brats had found his remote control and ruined his perfectly planned scheme even more. Then Sporta<i>stupid</i> had given him a kicked-puppy look, all confusion and hurt, that make Robbie want to throw up. What kind of villain was he if he couldn’t even make <i>one person</i> leave <i>his</i> town??</p>
<p>Scowling, he skulked back towards his lair, stomping on the remote control as he passed it, (ignoring how it twisted his ankle) and smiling grimly as it shattered. He jumped out of the way as one of the springs ricocheted up towards him, cursing under his breath.</p>
<p>“Hey Robbie!” Sportacus appeared out of nowhere, tapping Robbie lightly on the shoulder, but the force with which Robbie leapt backwards was akin to if he’d been punched. Sportacus took a hesitant step back as Robbie continued to recoil, eyes wide and panicked. “I- I’m sorry I-” he stumbled over his words, his accent thicker with concern.</p>
<p>“Don’t touch me!” Robbie hissed, straightening up, his gaze immediately flickering all over Sportacus for any sign of his worm (Stretcher, Robbie pretended not to remember), and was thankful when he couldn’t see her. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Sportacus apologised, reaching his hand out towards Robbie in a truce sort of way. Robbie stared at it like it was about to bite him. “I was wondering why you, you know, did-” he gestured back towards where the ruined boots sat in a trashcan, “-that.” Robbie didn’t say anything, and could only watch in mild horror as his own hand traitorously reached out, halting centimetres away from Sportacus’. “Don’t you want to be friends?”</p>
<p>“<i>What?</i>”</p>
<p>“Don’t you want to be friends?” Sportacus repeated. “You don’t seem to like me very much.”</p>
<p>“No! You’re too <i>flippity floppity</i>! And you’ll be leaving soon, no one ever stays in Lazytown for long, so why should I try and make friends?”</p>
<p>“You don’t need to worry about that Robbie!” Sportacus hopped forward, taking hold of Robbie’s hand, and Robbie was Very Much not looking at the way his bicep flexed, or how firm his grip was. (strong, but not uncomfortable) “I’m staying here for a long time!”</p>
<p>Oh.</p>
<p>Oh no.</p>
<p>Instinctively he reached for his pocket, which he remembered Slimey had slithered into earlier, but found it empty. </p>
<p><i>Oh no</i>.</p>
<p>Where the hell was she? He glanced over the surrounding area, but couldn’t spot her. Logically he knew she couldn’t have gone far, but the idea Sportacus might find her first was too terrifying for him to remain calm, and so without a second thought, he pulled away from Sportacus’ and speed walked back the way he’d come from, leaving Sportacus standing alone and confused.</p>
<p>But as Sportacus reached up to Stretcher’s usual perch on his shoulder, he found she was missing too.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>comments/kudos brighten my day ^-^</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>w o r m s (i am having way too much fun writing this au lmao) enjoy! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He found Sportacus’ worm first. She’d crawled up onto a nearby wall, and appeared to be doing some strange kind of worm sit-ups. <i>Of course</i> she took after Sportaflop, Robbie grumbled to himself as he waved Sportacus over from his own rapid search, yet another reason why they couldn’t possibly be together.</p>
<p>She stared at him intently as Sportacus backflipped towards them, the same hopefulness in her eyes that Sportacus had, and something twisted in Robbie’s chest, reminding him of what he was denying himself, what he was denying Slimey. But he forced it to go away, ignoring how his hand still tingled from Sportacus’ touch. This was for the best.</p>
<p>“You found her!” Sportacus beamed, as Robbie scooped up Stretcher from the wall, holding out the worm, her fur tickling the skin on his palms as she wriggled to get back to Sportacus. Despite Robbie trying to keep their hands apart, Sportacus ignored his efforts and picked up Stretcher right up, and Robbie had to keep from flinching at his touch. “Thank you Robbie!” </p>
<p>“Uh. No problem Sportadork.” Robbie stumbled over the words, his eyes flicking back up to Sportacus’ face, to where his eyes crinkled at the sides as he smiled, sharp blue against his tanned skin. “I’ve got to go.”</p>
<p>“Don’t you want help looking for your worm? You never told me their name,” Sportacus said as he raised Stretcher up to perch on his shoulder again, the blue of her fur almost blending into his uniform, and Robbie was sure Sportacus must be totally stupid if he couldn’t recognise that the contrasting purple was the same colour he wore almost daily.</p>
<p>“NO! No I’ve got it,” he fiddled with the cuff of his shirt, “Her name’s Slimey.” He added without thinking about it, and cursed himself internally for oversharing.</p>
<p>“Aw that’s a cute name! I hope you find her soon!” Sportacus’ smile was contagious, and Robbie had to fight to keep his own lips in their usual straight line. With Stretcher securely in place, he sprinted off, and Robbie deliberately turned away so he wouldn’t have to watch him flipping effortlessly over wall after wall. Not that he wanted to watch. Obviously.</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>Eventually he found Slimey surrounded by the children, who had settled down in a circle, having somehow produced a picnic out of nowhere, and were currently giving her gentle pats with their (presumably sticky) hands as she wriggled around on the grass alongside their worms. Robbie could easily tell which worm belonged to whom, with none of the kids old enough (bar one) to have their worm’s fur pattern shift to include their soulmate’s colour.</p>
<p>One of them turned around as he approached, (Sticky? Stingy? He couldn’t remember), and Robbie rolled his eyes as they all yelled “Robbie Rotten!!” in unison. Did they have to do that <i>every time</i> he went anywhere?</p>
<p>“Yes, yes, it’s me,” he waved them away, walking through their makeshift picnic set up before bending down and extending his hand out. “Come on, we’ve got work to do.” Slimey rolled her eyes, but crawled onto him as he sashayed away back towards his lair, her tail flicking him playfully on the wrist. He glared back at her, but a smile tugged at the corner of his lips; he could never get annoyed at her, really. And his stomach twisted again, suddenly feeling even worse for not telling her. Maybe she should know. But did Robbie really want to spend the rest of his life with that weird hyperactive not-so-superhero (or what was it he called himself? A slightly above average hero? Ridiculous.)? It felt oddly selfish thinking that—usually selfishness didn’t bother him, he was a <i>villain</i> after all.</p>
<p>Folding his arms and frowning, he started walking faster, the ground dusty beneath his feet and his ankle still smarting. He just wanted to nap and to stop overthinking. Overthinking wasn’t lazy at all.</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>“Does Robbie have a soulmate?” Stephanie frowned, watching him as he walked away, before turning back to the group, absentmindedly petting Strawberry as she curled around her wrist, hot pink fur blending into Stephanie’s dress.</p>
<p>“Everyone has a soulmate Pinky, so of course he does,” Trixie laughed, lying down on the grass and watching the clouds pass slowly overhead. “He’s just not found them yet.” </p>
<p>“What? Not found them? But he’s a grown up and <i>all</i> the grown-ups have their soulmates.” She took a bite from one of the sandwiches in the picnic basket, dropping a few crumbs, but she swiped them off her dress and onto the grass, where Ziggy’s worm, Wormy, sniffed at them.</p>
<p>“No, he’s lived alone in his lair for years,” Stingy said, ducking out of the way with an irritated huff as Trixie used her slingshot to dislodge an apple from one of the tree branches above them, before catching it one handed, and eating it.</p>
<p>“Is, is that possible?” Ziggy asked, anxiously sucking on a lollipop as he glanced between the older kids, “To never find your soulmate?”</p>
<p>“No Ziggy, <i>everyone</i> finds their soulmate eventually,” Stephanie squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, and his worried look melted away into his usual contented smile. “Don’t worry.”</p>
<p>“Actually, according to my calculations, 0.7% of people never find their soulmate!” Pixel piped up, flicking through the hologram on his armband computer, projecting the statistic up into the air. “But that’s usually because their soulmate died, or they live on the other side of the world-” He stopped as Trixie swatted his arm. </p>
<p>“Not helpful dude.”</p>
<p>“Sorry.” Pixel minimised the hologram, grateful that Ziggy wasn’t that great at reading just yet.</p>
<p>“Wait guys, I’ve had an idea!” Stephanie broke the awkward silence that had descended upon the group, “What if <i>we</i> found Robbie’s soulmate for him!!” Four excited faces turned to look at her, all with the same thrilling joy of a new plan to work on.</p>
<p>“That’s a great idea Stephanie!” Pixel grinned, already logging into the database on his armband computer. “Can anyone remember what colour his worm was?”</p>
<p>“Purple! And uh…” Ziggy trailed off, sucking his lollipop thoughtfully again, “Blue? Or green?”</p>
<p>“Blue.” Stingy confirmed, as Sparkles poked his head out of his pocket, a tiny red bowtie around his neck contrasting with his silver fur. “With swirly stripes.” Pixel’s computer whirred and bleeped as it searched the database, but after a few minutes, he sat back, shaking his head.</p>
<p>“Nope, no matches.” He sighed, shutting down the hologram again with a click.</p>
<p>“There’s <i>got</i> to be another way.”</p>
<p>“Why don’t we ask Sportacus how he found his soulmate? He knows <i>everything</i>!” Ziggy chimed in, eyes bright with a new idea.</p>
<p>“Yeah!” the others chorused at once, and they all scrambled to their feet, the picnic forgotten as they ran away to find their slightly-above-average hero.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>luv yall </p>
<p>comments/kudos make me so happy ^-^</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>uwu more w o r m s &lt;3 hope yall enjoy it ^-^</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Sportacus!!”</p>
<p>He looked up from the set of 100 one handed push ups he was doing on top of a wall, jumping down to his feet as the kids approached.</p>
<p>“Hey guys, what’s up?” he asked, dusting off his hands on his trousers, a smile widening on his face.</p>
<p>“We need to know how to find someone’s soulmate!” Ziggy blurted out before anyone else could speak, bouncing up and down excitedly. Trixie rolled her eyes, but her smile gave away the fact that she was just as impatient as the rest to find out.</p>
<p>Sportacus frowned a little, “Aren’t you all too young to find yours yet?” Pixel shook his head, indicating his worm (Floppy), with his two tone fur currently pressing buttons on his own personal computer, and Sportacus hummed in acknowledgement, about to speak again but before he could, he was interrupted.</p>
<p>“Yeah, but we want to know anyway!” Stephanie chimed in, diverting Sportacus’ attention back to them. “So can you tell us? Pleeeaseee?” Sportacus chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the sides as he nodded.</p>
<p>“Of course! Most people check the database first, but back where I’m from, no one really uses that, and you find your soulmate by asking the people you meet. It’s a pretty isolated community…” he trailed off, a slightly wistful look in his eye as he stared out to the mountains on the horizon. The children exchanged concerned glances, before Trixie kicked him sharply in the shin to bring him back to the conversation. “Ow!”</p>
<p>“So we just have to ask people about their worms?” Stephanie clarified, shooting a glare at Trixie who was stifling her giggles at Sportacus’ slight kicked-puppy look as he rubbed his leg, hoping it wouldn’t bruise. He nodded again. “Ok thanks Sportacus!”</p>
<p>“How did you find <i>your</i> so-” Ziggy’s question was lost to the wind as the others started running away, and he chased after them, red cape billowing out behind him.</p>
<p>“I haven’t!” Sportacus called out after him, but he doubted Ziggy, nor any of the other kids heard him. Shaking his head bemusedly, he jumped back down into a push up stance, counting under his breath again as he bobbed up and down.</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>Several days passed before Robbie emerged from his lair again, still without a plan or any idea of whether he should tell Slimey anything. The sky was dark, which he hadn’t anticipated, but he’d been napping on and off for three days so his sense of time had deteriorated somewhat. Lazytown had never been big on street lamps, and the few that were dotted about never seemed to be lit, and as such, the stars were all clearly visible, if one stayed awake long enough to see them. Which Robbie did, on a much more regular basis than he’d generally prefer. He’d left Slimey curled up asleep on the arm of his chair, though. He didn’t see the point in making her as sleepless and irritable as he was.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Recently, there had been a large black shape in the sly, blocking out a patch of stars as it hovered in place; Sportacus’ airship. Yet another thing for Robbie to be annoyed at. But tonight it was absent. He frowned, glancing around to make sure he wasn’t going mad, a small flicker of hope in his chest that <i>maybe</i> Sportaflop had decided to leave. (He squashed down the accompanying sense of disappointment that came with it.)</p>
<p>That was, until his eyes adjusted properly to the darkness, and he realised the shape on the far side of the field wasn’t a house after all. Curiosity got the better of him, and he began the long walk across the damp grass, the ends of his trousers speckled with dew. As he drew closer, the dull humming of the airship’s engines grew louder, and he almost turned back.</p>
<p>But then a door fell open in front of him, white and plush-looking, inviting him into the darkened room and Robbie couldn’t turn away.</p>
<p>Inside was sparser than he’d imagined (Not that he’d imagined Sportacus’ living quarters, obviously) and even in the dark he could tell there really wasn’t much in the airship at all. <i>Did Sportaflop really not have any possessions?</i> he thought to himself as he tiptoed to the centre of the room.</p>
<p>Outside, the moon slithered from behind a cloud, letting a little more light in through the large windows, and Robbie could finally see the shape of a bed at the far end, and a sleeping Sportacus lying comfortably within it. He stepped tentatively closer. Sportacus’ blonde curls were spread out over the crisp white pillow, and his moustache twitched as he dreamed. He rolled over as Robbie approached, startling him, and almost making him retreat. And then he saw them.</p>
<p>Pointed ears.</p>
<p>
  <i>What the fuck?</i>
</p>
<p>He stumbled backwards, crashing into the wall and activating a panel, opening with a hiss and Robbie shrieked, falling to the floor. Sportacus sat up sharply, a panicked look in his tired eyes as he yelled “Lights!”</p>
<p>Robbie’s vision blurred, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness, and took a moment to realise Sportacus was talking to him. Sportacus. Who had pointy ears.</p>
<p>“Elf,” was all he managed to stutter out, cutting short Sportacus’ sentence, and he watched him immediately duck under the bed sheets, covering his head so he could grab his hat and pull it back on.</p>
<p>“Robbie why are you here?!” Sportacus half-yelled, his voice tired and confused as he emerged from under the duvet.</p>
<p>“I… I don’t know!” Robbie half-yelled back, realising just how creepy this looked.</p>
<p>“You can’t say anything to-”</p>
<p>“I won’t- I won’t tell anyone! I promise!” Robbie interrupted, scrambling awkwardly to his feet and rushing towards the still-open door. Sportacus watched him disappear with a look of mild horror still painted on his face.</p>
<p>Outside, Robbie hugged his arms tightly around himself as he began the long walk back to his lair, the chill of the late night air causing the hairs to stand up on the back of his neck. He didn’t quite know what to think anymore.</p>
<p>Sportacus was an elf. Sportacus was an elf and his soulmate. Sportacus was an elf and his soulmate and looked ridiculously cute when he slept and Robbie was going to scream. He refused to let himself acknowledge the fact that Sportacus was attractive. Because if he acknowledged that, then he’d have to acknowledge he was attracted <i>to</i> him. And if he did <i>that</i> then he was certain he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from telling Sportacus the truth and then his whole life would be completely ruined.</p>
<p>He definitely wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i hope youre having a great day, ily all!! </p>
<p>comments/kudos bring me joy and youre all so rad ^-^</p>
<p>(also i already have the next chapter planned out?? which is weird for me i usually just kinda wing it?? lmaoo)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>oop sorry this took so long! i got distracted with other fics (namely a glanniþro plague doctor au &gt;_&lt; idk if any of you would read that though lmao) anyway! enjoy the chapter! its a little longer than usual!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sportacus’ morning gymnastics were a lot more subdued than usual, less of a spring in his step as he jumped to catch the basketball his airship launched from the wall. It flew past him, smacking into the opposite wall and he watched it dejectedly. He hardly ever missed something thrown at him, usually only when he was distracted—which he certainly was now. Sensing Stretcher’s gaze prickling on the back of his neck, he forced himself to smile, laughing off the missed catch as an accident and launching himself back into his activities with excessive vigour to make up for the anxiety simmering under the surface, but he knew she could tell something was off. He’d always been a terrible liar, even when he wasn’t saying anything at all.</p>
<p>But Stretcher didn’t mention it. Not in the airship, and not as he hopped out of the open door, merely nuzzling closer into his neck as he jogged into town, her fur soft and warm and soothing. A sharp contrast to the cool, early morning breeze which chilled him a little. The sun had risen over the horizon and bathed the town in a soft yellow light through the layer of clouds littering the sky. It made everything look a little fuzzy and surreal, like a painting. He must have woken up late.</p>
<p>He kept an eye out for Robbie as he ran, knowing he was unlikely to see him for another few hours yet, since Robbie must have been awake at least half the night. Was Robbie likely to keep his word? Sportacus didn’t know him well enough to be certain, and his chest tightened at the thought of having his secret exposed. He’d have to leave, and- Wait, wasn’t that what Robbie <i>wanted</i> to happen? If the strange prank he’d pulled a few days ago was any indication was certainly a possibility. Worry sat heavily in the pit of his stomach, and he ran faster to make it go away. It didn’t work.</p>
<p>What he didn’t understand was why Robbie would want him to leave; he’d tried to be friendly, and hadn’t done anything to upset him. At least, nothing he was aware of. Shaking his head, he frowned, puzzling it over; most people liked him, and those that didn’t he worked hard to gain their approval, but Robbie seemed intent on pushing him away. But that didn’t explain why he had snuck into the airship in the middle of the night…</p>
<p>He half hoped someone would get in trouble just so he could save them to take his mind off what had happened. Immediately guilt flooded through him as his crystal chimed, almost as if he’d willed it to happen, and he took off towards the town hall. The mayor needed him.</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>“Stop poking me!” Robbie snapped as he curled up in his armchair, Slimey repeatedly jabbing him in the cheek as she perched on his shoulder. He hadn’t slept yet, and it was evident in the bags under his eyes. “No there’s nothing wrong, leave me alone!” She gave him a pointed look, and he couldn’t meet her gaze. She poked him again so he shoved her off, and she glared at him from the arm of the chair.</p>
<p>“Fine! I haven’t slept,” Robbie relented, hoping it was enough to placate her enough that she wouldn’t keep prying. As if on cue, the speaker system dropped from the ceiling, broadcasting the children yelling, and drawing the conversation to an end. For once, Robbie was grateful he hadn’t fixed it yet.</p>
<p>Slimey crawled back onto him, sitting on his knee and refusing to move as he tried to stand up, her head cocked to the side in a picture of irritation.</p>
<p>“Fine!” he cried again, “I’ll sleep outside.”</p>
<p>Despite not having a mouth, Slimey managed to convey the exact essence of a triumphant smirk, and Robbie flipped her off as he grabbed a pillow and blanket and marched towards the exit ladder, determinedly trying (and failing) to dislodge her from his leg as he walked.</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>The children ran off to play a game of hide and seek on the other side of town as Sportacus started his midday backflipping through the town square. No one was about, so Sportacus took the opportunity to spring even higher over every wall, stretching out his muscles like he hadn’t done in a while. But as he rounded a corner, he froze; Robbie, curled up under a thin purple blanket, snored away on a bench. Unfortunately he didn’t stop quite quickly enough, and he stumbled into a wall.</p>
<p>“Ah,” he hissed, having grazed his palm a little on the rough stone, before wincing at his own loudness. He hoped he hadn’t woken Robbie up. But of course, this wasn’t turning out to be his lucky day.</p>
<p>“Ugh,” Robbie groaned awake, stretching his arms up to relieve a crick in his neck. As he turned his head, he made eye contact with Sportacus and immediately groaned louder. “What do you want Sportaflop?” He pushed himself upwards, swinging his legs off the bench and flicked his hair out of his eyes where it had fallen down from its usual pompador.</p>
<p>“Is that Slimey?” Sportacus asked, trying to make casual conversation, and gesturing towards Robbie’s shoulder, where a blue worm dozed contentedly. Robbie paled, too many unreadable emotions flitting across his face at once for Sportacus to understand, but before he could speak again, Robbie grabbed Slimey from his shoulder and shoved her into his pocket, suddenly wide awake and holding Sportacus’ gaze with a panicked look in his eyes.</p>
<p>“Yeah, but she’s shy,” he replied a moment too late, his breaths wavering, but Sportacus’ eyes darted down to where Slimey was poking her head out of the pocket, gazing inquisitively back up at him. “My eyes are up here.”</p>
<p>Tearing his eyes away from the worm that seemed almost uncannily familiar, he hopped onto the wall behind him, crossing his legs to stop them bouncing with restless energy and rubbing his sore hand. “About yesterday-” he began, fiddling with a loose thread on the hem of his pants, “-you won’t tell anyone?”</p>
<p>Robbie’s expression was still unreadable (or maybe Sportacus was just bad at reading him), and he chewed at his lip for a moment before shaking his head. “No, I won’t.” Relief flooded through Sportacus and he had to stop himself from enveloping Robbie in a hug. “But if anyone asks I’m not going to deny it.”</p>
<p>Sportacus’ smiled wide, his anxiety lifting. “That’s okay, thank you Robbie! But what were you doing in my airship at night?”</p>
<p>“Sleepwalking!” Robbie blurted out a little too quickly to be believable, but Sportacus was always bad at detecting lies.</p>
<p>“Really? I can make you a tea to help with that!” He offered, “I know it can be disruptive to healthy sleeping patterns, and I don’t want you feeling tired all the time!”</p>
<p>Robbie turned his face away, mumbling something like thanks, but his cheeks were tingled slightly pink, and Sportacus felt his own blush colour his face right to the tips of his ears. It took him a moment to realise that the worrisome knot in his stomach had turned to nervous butterflies. Smiling softly to himself he shook his head as Slimey poked out of the pocket again.</p>
<p>“Oh! By the way, the kids were planning on helping you!”</p>
<p>“Helping me with what?” Robbie interrupted, a frown creasing his brow as he shoved Slimey back down. Sportacus couldn’t supress the chuckle that it caused.</p>
<p>“They wanted to help you find yo-” He broke off as his crystal rang out, and he leapt to his feet. “Sorry Robbie, someone’s in trouble! We can talk later?” He took off at a sprint in the direction of the children, turning to give a split second apologetic look back to where Robbie still awkwardly perched, alone again.</p>
<p>“My <i>what</i>??” Robbie yelled back, but by then Sportacus was already too far away. “Stupid cute flippity floppity elves never finishing their sentences,” he grumbled to himself as he lay back down on the bench, pulling the blanket over his head and ignoring Slimey’s jabs to his abdomen. He was <i>too tired</i> to think right now. And <i>definitely</i> too tired to realise he’d just acknowledged Sportaflop was <i>cute</i>.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>love yall &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>wow this kinda took a while sorry &gt;_&lt; i’ve been distracted (both with the plague doctor glanniþro au and preparing for Lammas — side note, blessed lammas to yall! ^-^) but here ya go! enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Stephanie slumped against the tree beside her uncle’s house, a frown on her face as she kicked at the dirt on the ground. She and her friends had asked every adult in town about their worms, from Mr Spendthrift, to the old lady who owned the bakery beside the town hall, to every single person inside the market (Trixie had blocked the exits on her skateboard so no one could leave until all the worms had been carefully examined.) But they’d had no luck. It didn’t help that most adults were <i>already</i> married, or had met their soulmates and were… dating? (She wasn’t sure how to refer to her uncle and Mrs Busybody’s relationship, half the time Mrs Busybody didn’t even seem to <i>like</i> him, but their worms matched so they <i>had</i> to be soulmates.)</p>
<p>Strawberry nuzzled her cheek reassuringly, and she half-smiled. “Yeah, I know we have to keep trying, but what if we can’t find them?” She sighed, turning around and kicking the tree so that an apple fell down into her outstretched hands, and she bit into it thoughtfully. “What if Robbie’s soulmate is in another country? Or on the other side of the world?” She sighed again, but Strawberry shook her head in a firm no.</p>
<p>“You’re sure they’re here somewhere?” She asked, and was met with an enthusiastic nod. “You’re always right, so I believe you!” She fed her a little of the apple, and stood up straight. “Let’s go and find Trixie, maybe there’s some grown-ups we missed earlier!” With renewed energy and a determined grin on her face, she took off at a run towards Trixie’s house; they had some searching to do!</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>“Wow great job Ziggy!” Sportacus exclaimed as Ziggy finally managed to throw the basketball into the hoop, “See! I told you if you practice, you’ll be able to do anything!” Ziggy beamed at the praise as they jogged over to the wall where the mayor had left out some glasses of water. Stretcher and Wormy were already there; Stretcher sipped from a smaller glass, and Wormy flopped face down onto the wall, exhausted from Stretcher encouraging him to lift one of the tiny dumbbells she used.</p>
<p>“Aw, poor Wormy!” Ziggy said, stroking Wormy’s head as he drank his water and spotted Stretcher behind the tray. “What’s your worm’s name Sportacus? She’s really pretty!”</p>
<p>“Her name’s Stretcher,” he replied as Stretcher poked Ziggy’s hand playfully. “And thank you! She really is!”</p>
<p>Worms can’t blush, but the look on Stretcher’s face gave all the indication of her flushing with pride at the compliment, and she held her head up with a smile (or at least the impression of one).</p>
<p>“Why were you asking about soulmates the other day?” Sportacus asked, setting his own cup back down safely in the middle of the tray.</p>
<p>“We’re trying to find Robbie’s, cuz he’s so mean and grumpy all the time, and if he found his soulmate he might be happier!” Ziggy didn’t look up from petting Wormy, but Sportacus smiled warmly. “But we asked <i>everyone</i> today, and no one in Lazytown is his soulmate!” Ziggy pouted for a moment. “That’s why I asked you how you found yours!”</p>
<p>Sportacus laughed, dropping down into some press-ups as he spoke, “I haven’t found mine yet.”</p>
<p>“Really?” Ziggy asked, shocked.</p>
<p>“No, no one back home was, and I haven’t travelled very far yet. Don’t worry though, I’ve got plenty of time to find them.” Stretcher nodded along with his words, and Ziggy slowly stopped looking like someone told him the moon wasn’t real.</p>
<p>“Hey Ziggy!!” Pixel shouted as he ran over towards them, slightly out of breath as he finally stopped. “Stephanie said to meet her and Trixie at the treehouse, they’ve got important business to discuss,” he paused, catching his breath. “Oh hey Sportacus,” he added, and Sportacus jumped back up to his feet, greeting him with a wave.</p>
<p>“Sorry Sportacus! I’ll see you later!” Ziggy said as he scooped Wormy up into his hands, charging off towards the treehouse. Pixel rolled his eyes and huffed, but followed after him with a hurried goodbye to Sportacus. He watched them leave with a soft smile, they were helping Robbie, and although Sportacus didn’t know him very well, he certainly deserved their kindness. In his chest, something tightened when he thought about Robbie. He wasn’t sure why, since he barely knew him, and he was fairly certain Robbie barely liked him.</p>
<p>But Ziggy’s talk about soulmates made him prickle with sadness; he’d shut down all hopes of finding a soulmate after discovering no one back in his homeland had the same colour worm as he did. Even when his parents reached out to the other elven settlements scattered around the north, none of them matched with him. It was partially why he’d become one of the numbered heroes, though he’d never admit it aloud. It meant he could travel around the world and meet new people, far more than he ever could had he stayed at home. But the heroes were meant to be selfless, staying in towns to improve people’s lives without wanting payment or anything in return. Which meant that when he’d arrived above Lazytown, and his heart had fluttered at the possibility he could find his soulmate, it had immediately been crushed by the guilt of not staying true to his oaths.</p>
<p>He shook his head, he was thinking too deeply into everything; Lazytown was small, and if his soulmate <i>were</i> here, he’d have most likely met them already. The sharp bleeping of his crystal  broke him out of his self-reflection, and he backflipped away towards Mrs Busybody’s house, wondering what sort of trouble she’d gotten herself into now.</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>The other kids were already sitting up in the treehouse by the time Ziggy and Pixel arrived, the roof shading them from the hot late-afternoon sun, but the wooden boards beneath them were warm to  the touch. Ziggy awkwardly scrambled up the ladder, his cape getting stuck in the trapdoor and leading to several minutes of laughter from Trixie and Stingy and Stephanie rolling her eyes and pulling him free.</p>
<p>“What took you so long?” Stingy asked, Sparkles winding their way between his hands as he leant against the wall nonchalantly.</p>
<p>“Sorry! I was with Sportacus and he taught me how to play basketball! And then I got to meet his worm, her name’s Stretcher and she’s got really, <i>really</i> soft blue and purple fur, and she taught Wormy how to lift weights and-”</p>
<p>“Wait, what?” Stephanie interrupted him, “What colours did you say?”</p>
<p>“Blue, like the sky, and purple, like one of my <i>favourite</i> lollipops,” he sighed happily, thinking about said lollipop. “Why?”</p>
<p>Trixie groaned in frustration. “What colour worm are we <i>looking</i> for, dummy?”</p>
<p>“<i>OH</i>!” He gasped, “That means-”</p>
<p>Stephanie nodded gleefully. “Sportacus could be Robbie’s soulmate!”</p>
<p>“We don’t know for sure, the patterns might be different,” Pixel said as he flicked open the hologram on his computer armband.</p>
<p>“Yeah… But that means we’ve got to find out! C’mon guys let’s make a plan!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>love yall &lt;3 hope youre all having a great day ^-^</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>well its been a while and my only excuse is that i got obsessed with star wars again so- sorry about that. but here we go! more worms!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Robbie’s new machine Did Not Work, and he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why. He’d been tinkering with the cogs and gears and wires for hours now, soldering and re-wiring circuits until his eyes went strange from concentrating too hard. By all of his usual standards, it should have been fully functioning by now, and yet there it sat, a cold ball of metal and uselessness on the floor of his lair. Its flat metal surface stared up at him judgementally, and he kicked it with an irritated sigh. Beside him, Slimey coiled up inside an unused gear, her face resting on the side and watching him work.</p>
<p>“I give up,” he groaned as he pushed himself to his feet, but having been in the same hunched over position for so long made his joints pop loudly, his back aching far more than usual (he really needed a proper workspace that <i>wasn’t</i> covered in several years’ worth of scrap inventions and empty cake plates. It wasn’t even as though his current invention was important—so far it had no practical purpose within a scheme, he’d just had an idea and  hadn’t had anything better to do than make it.</p>
<p>He tried to stretch out the perpetual crick in his neck as he stumbled to the kitchen to make himself a hot chocolate, but the tension remained, and he grumbled as he spooned the chocolate powder into a mug. He hadn’t spoken to Sportacus in a day or two, unfortunately- <i>What? No!</i> Robbie mentally chastised himself, it was <i>very fortunate!</i> Not <i>unfortunate</i> in the slightest! Why did his mind continue to betray him?</p>
<p>Either way, he was desperately trying not to think about him at all.</p>
<p>Which meant the sudden knocking on the hatch of his lair was a really rather unwelcome surprise.</p>
<p>“Hey Robbie!” Sportacus landed on his feet in the lair with an air of grace and dignity which Robbie was yet to perfect. “I brought you the tea!”</p>
<p>“What?” Robbie left his hot chocolate in the kitchen as he forced himself to go and talk to Sportacus.</p>
<p>“I made you the tea for your sleepwalking! And some teabags so you can make more!” He smiled warmly as he held out a blue striped pouch and a matching flask. “It’s part camomile, part lavender, with some other herbs and spices!</p>
<p>“For my <i>what</i>?”</p>
<p>“Your sleepwalking? You sleepwalked into my airship, remember?” Sportacus’ head tilted to the side as he spoke, and Robbie remembered his lie.</p>
<p>“Oh! Yes. Obviously that.” He reached out and grabbed the offered gifts, deliberately avoiding any hand contact, because he did <i>not</i> want to deal with those emotions right now. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Slimey still curled on the gear, thankfully out of Sportacus’ line of sight. Unless elves had super vision. “Do you have super vision?” He asked too quickly to sound at all nonchalant.</p>
<p>Sportacus’ brow creased in a confused frown. “No? Why?”</p>
<p>“Doesn’t matter.” Robbie breathed an internal sigh of relief, unscrewing the lid of the flask and tentatively sniffing. It smelled like plants, and Robbie wasn’t sure why he expected anything different. “Thanks Sportatea.”</p>
<p>“You’re welcome Robbie,” Sportacus’ eyes crinkled as he smiled, his hat leaning a little to the left and exposing the barest hint of the blonde curls underneath. Robbie crushed the impulse to throw away the hat and run his hands through Sportacus’ hair, focusing instead on the tea as he took a sip. It wasn’t as bitter as he’d expected, nor did it taste like leaves. It was actually rather pleasant, and he took another sip, letting the honey sweet taste wash over him.</p>
<p>“It’s… not terrible.” He settled on, taking one more drink before screwing the lid back on. Before he could continue though, Sportacus hopped forward and hugged him.</p>
<p>Robbie froze, he’d not been held like this in a long time, and the sensation of Sportacus’ strong arms around him was almost too much to bear. But at the same time, he never wanted to let go.</p>
<p><i>Apples and grass and flowers and warmth</i>.</p>
<p>But as soon as it had begun, Sportacus jumped back. Robbie mourned the loss of contact instantly. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable; I shouldn’t have done that,” he apologised, almost tripping over his words. Robbie still couldn’t move, the imprint of Sportacus’ touch still burning hot against his skin. “I- I should go.”</p>
<p>He turned back towards the exit hatch, his hands already gripping the cool metal for the climb back up when Robbie finally came to his senses. Throwing the blanket from his chair over Slimey and his ‘invention’ he called out to the retreating elf. “Wait! Sportaflop-”</p>
<p>Sportacus flipped around faster than Robbie had ever seen him move before, but stayed several feet away, as though Robbie would break if he came any closer. He had the same anxious look in his eyes, but Robbie couldn’t help but see the flicker of hope there too, beneath the soft blue gaze.</p>
<p>“It’s ok, I’m not… upset,” he said after a moment that stretched out for far too long, “But give me warning if you’re going to do it again.” The look on his face made something flip in Robbie’s chest, as Sportacus bounced on the balls of his feet.</p>
<p>“Thank you Robbie, I promise I will.” Sportacus took a step forward. Before he could keep staring, Robbie shook his head, forcing himself to look away.</p>
<p>“Do you want a drink? I can make you uh- something. Probably.” The offer was out of his mouth and Sportacus was nodding before Robbie even considered what he’d said. It wasn’t like he could take it back, and in all honesty he didn’t really want to.</p>
<p>“Water, please.”</p>
<p>Robbie gagged at the thought, but indicated that Sportacus should wait for a minute whilst he strode back to the kitchen to get him a glass. The water splashed over his hands as he stared into space, the glass over-filling, and he cursed under his breath.</p>
<p>“Here you go,” he said as he passed over the dripping glass, but Sportacus didn’t seem to care. “I’d offer you a seat, but that one’s mine, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you sit still.” Sportacus laughed, a faint blush dusting his tanned cheeks, which Robbie <i>definitely</i> didn’t find cute or adorable or extremely endearing.</p>
<p>“Thanks Robbie,” he said, drinking the water in one go, “What’s under there?” He pointed towards the hastily thrown blanket, covering a lump of metal and wires.</p>
<p>“Nothing!” Robbie said too quickly, “A scheme, nothing you should be worried about.”</p>
<p>“A scheme?” Sportacus chuckled, “If your scheme is to get me to leave, I could get hurt, so-”</p>
<p>“No I wouldn’t hurt you.” Robbie interrupted, and Sportacus’ face softened even more at Robbie’s words, how tender they sounded. But before he could reply, his crystal rang out, and he bolted towards the exit.</p>
<p>“Someone’s in trouble! I’ll see you soon Robbie!” And then he was gone, leaving Robbie to stare into the emptiness of his lair and contemplate what his words really meant.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>luv yall &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>so everyone has a worm, and their soulmate has a matching worm, the worms are like pets and theyre cute, and also the two worms are soulmates too &lt;33</p>
<p>hope you enjoyed &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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